M = X?

Yeah freakin' right.

So where's the ban on ads for R-rated movies?

MBTA just opened a can of worms, and I think the industry should sue.

Communities have a right to object to things, as they did in this case. But I do feel that this is less a concerned community than it is a few politicians and soccer moms who bought into the 'blame GTA' trend.
Some of the most shameful things about this:
-M-rated video games are being singled out, even though the T advertises for other adult-oriented products.
-It's a ban on all M-rated game advertising, meaning the highly objectionible GTA is lumped together with the altogether more accepted Halo.
-Most disturbingly, it's a government-sponsored agency that has made the connection between violent games and pornography. Hopefully the practice doesn't become widespread - it's a dangerous precedent. (Although, I'm not sure what the exact nature of the MBTA is. If it's basically a private company that works with the state, I guess there's no big issue. If it technically is a branch of the state, then maybe the ESA can rightfully complain that they're arbitrarily being discriminated against?)

"We don’t want to offend our riders."

I think it would be very funny if University students and young adults (20s-30s) in the Boston area started complaining that they were offended by the removal of the ads. What then?

Interesting. Since they're not banning R rated movies though, couldn't they be sued under the 14th Amendment? Is the MBTA a public utility?

@Jabrwock: That's what I was wondering - if the MBTA can potentially be sued. If it's not, then it's basically a private company saying it doesn't like certain sources of money - sure, fine, whatever. But if it's technically a government branch then it seems like it's something approaching unequal treatment.
Still, there's no real reason to sue because I doubt the game companies can gain anything from it. Even if there was no written policy that says the T will refuse ads for M rated games, game companies can't force the T to take their money. And besides, like I said - if they don't want to accept money from certain sources, fine, it's their right to. It's even somewhat admirable in a way. But their reasoning just continues to be all wrong in claiming that GTA games promote real-world violence. If they thought that the game is distasteful and offensive, fine, but it's not responsible for violence.

again MR newbie rapper can hock his fast food ads violent movie ads and his 40oz ads yet not his game ads... logic left the station last year and has not been seen since...

@Ken: A lot of gamers on the site advocate just that. Trouble is, supposed a fair portion of non-gamers already have trouble understanding the existing system - apparently "E"verybody, "T"een, and "M"ature are too complicated. Trying make up a lot of sub-categories might only make things worse.

Do they ever advertise R rated movies on the trains?

@ Brokenscope

I think they do. I've seen many ads for R rated movies on buses, but the real point here is that this violates freedom of speech. Violent M rated video games have every right to advertise where ever and when ever they want. This is an awful violation against the innocent video game industry. I hope gamers don't take this crap and fight back.

Here's the best part. South Station, one of the main commuter stations, used to have 8 million HUGE iPod ads hanging from the ceilings and walls and all kinds of shit like that. Now they've got a new ad. Guess what it is. Give up? It's whiskey.

"We are thrilled that the MBTA has been so responsive to community concerns. The children of Boston can now ride the MBTA without being targets for advertising that glorifies violence… (the MBTA decision) sends a strong message to the videogame industry that public property cannot be used to promote violence to children. We hope that other cities will follow suit."

Hell yeah! Way to go! I now fully expect all of Boston's ills to magically disappear overnight now that they've struck this blow against the evil video games! Yep! Any minute now! Any minute...

[...] En fin que no ganamos para disgustos, sobre todo cuando haciendo historia descubrimos que este mismo grupo es el que consiguió el año pasado mediante una protesta que eliminaran todos los anuncios de juegos con clasificación M del metro de Boston. [...]

All at once it was just as if someone kissed his eyes and mouth: taylor rain he slept, and yet he did not sleep; it was as though the old washerwoman gazed on him with her mild eyes and said, It were a great sin if you were not to know.

You guys all SUCK!

jeez matt what the heck is wrong with you, you are soooooooooooo weird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

umm...no ur freakin stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[...] Shameful. After MyFox Chicago ran a little piece questioning why a violent game is being advertised on city buses, the head of the Chicago Transit Authority had the ads removed. There are so many things wrong with this, from ignorance on parade to the violation of free speech as a public authority arbitrarily decides what gets to be advertised and what doesn’t. Earlier they decided that M-rated games were equivalent to X-rated movies. No doubt there are still ads for Cialis, the NRA, and the military still cruising around town. [...]